Every year thousands of houses suffer damage from fires and hundreds of people die or face serious injuries. Many of these fires could have been prevented with just a little common sense and regular maintenance. Here are some of the common causes of house fires and some tips on preventing them.
- Kitchen fires are by far the most common. Many of these fires are caused by unattended cooking. We have had people put a roast in the oven and forget it was in and leave for the day only to come home to a house filled with smoke. Grease fires on the stove are also very common. Combustible items that are too close to the burners on your stove or toaster. Sometimes it can be faulty appliances. Most of these can be prevented but we will always have accidents.
- Dryer fires
- Electrical wiring or extension cord and power strip fires
- Candles
- Briquet coals or fireplace ashes being placed in cans next to your house
- Keeping stain rags in a coffee can in the garage
- Cars catching fire in the garage
- Space heaters placed to close to combustible items
- Cigarettes in the house
- Outside fire pits to close to the house
These are not all the ways a house can have a fire but they represent some of the most common.
Tips:
- Check your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors every month. Replace batteries at least once a year
- Clean out your dryer vent a couple times a year. This will not only prevent a fire but it will help your clothes dry faster and save on your energy bill
- Make sure you are using appropriately sized extension cords and power strips and never overload a circuit
- Keep candles away from combustible items. Also, if you have cats I would recommend going with flameless candles or LED. I have seen many fires where a poor cat burned his tail and in panic, knocked over a candle.
- Always make sure you dump ashes a safe distance from your house and douse with water if there is any chance, they are still warm
- Never keep stain rags in your garage. Instead separate the rags and let them sit outside.
- When working on cars in the garage just double check everything. This might be one of the hardest types of fires to prevent.
- Always keep space heaters away from combustibles. Make sure that your heater has an automatic shut off if it tips over. Never leave them unattended
- When burning outside always make sure the fire is out and the coals are cold. You never know when that wind will pick up.